Was Jesus Dead for Three Days and Three Nights?

© BibleStudy.org

Was Jesus dead for three days and three nights (72 hours) or
was he dead for only part of them? Why was the duration of his
death critical to his mission and purpose?

During his ministry, the Jews demanded a sign from Jesus to

prove He was the promised Messiah. If the sign were not
perfectly fulfilled, however, it would prove that He was not the
Savior. What Jesus offered as proof positive that he was the Son
of God was the sign of Jonah and the three days he spent in the
depths of the sea!

Jesus prophesied his own death and resurrection when He

stated, "For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three
days and three nights, in like manner the Son of man shall be in
the heart of the earth (buried in a grave) . . . (Matthew 12:40,
HBFV throughout unless stated)

Did Christ mean what He said? Did He really expect his burial in
the earth to be a complete three days and three nights (72
hours)?

Note that Jesus did not say in Matthew 12:40, "After two nights
and one day I will rise again." He meant that for three whole days
he would be dead and buried, a full seventy-two hours! Upon
Jesus' crucifixion, the Jewish leaders who hated him
remembered this sign (see Matthew 27).
Many teachers of the Bible state that Jesus' crucifixion took
place on Good Friday. They also state he was resurrected early
on a Sunday morning. Unfortunately, both of these teachings are
not true! The time period from Friday afternoon to Sunday
morning does not remotely constitute three days and three
nights! In fact, if the crucifixion took place on Good Friday and
the resurrection on Sunday morning, then Christ is not the
Messiah!

Jesus clearly stated how long he would be dead. He declared He

would rise again "after three days" (Matthew 27:63, Mark 8:31,
etc.). How do Bible teachers, however, reconcile a Good Friday to
Easter morning time period (less than 40 hours) with Jesus'
declaration he would be dead for 72 HOURS?

Some say that Jews count parts of a day as a complete

twenty-four hour period. Passages cited include Genesis 42:17 -
18, 1Samuel 30:12 and Esther 4:15 - 16. Unfortunately, these
passages do not show that three distinct twenty-four hour
periods are the same as a two nights and one complete span of
time between Good Friday to Easter morning! The periods
mentioned in the above verses are to be taken literally!

The Big Lie,-

The Bible nowhere states that Jesus' crucifixion was on a Friday!

Because the Jewish weekly Sabbath came on Saturday, scholars
assume Jesus died on Friday, thus promoting a Good Friday
hoax!

The Bible clearly states the Jews kept other Holy times besides
the weekly Sabbath. The Jews also kept the annual Feast Days
God had given Israel (Exodus 23:14 - 17, Leviticus 23, Numbers
28 - 29, etc.).

Scripture teaches there were two Sabbaths between the time

when Jesus entered the tomb and the moment, three complete
days later, his resurrection took place! This is the key to
understanding the correct sequence of events of what happened
to Jesus our Savior!

"According to Jewish law, to be declared legally dead, a person

had to be dead for three FULL days or more. Therefore, if Jesus
had risen from the dead before 3 PM on the afternoon of Nisan
17, a weekly Sabbath (Saturday), He would not have been
considered legally dead . . .

"If He had been crucified on a Friday and restored to life on

Sunday morning at sunrise (what Christianity calls Easter
morning), His death would not have been "valid" . . .

"In order for His death to be publicly recognized and

acknowledged, it was necessary for Jesus to remain in the grave
for three nights and three days before He was raised from the
dead." (HBFV, Appendix J).

The Sabbath after Jesus Died,-

After Tuesday sunset in 30 A.D. (when the Biblical day ended)

Jesus took part of his last meal with his twelve disciples (Luke
22:14 - 15, etc.). His crucifixion occurs between noon and 3 pm
Wednesday. He dies at 3 pm.

According to the Bible, work was allowed in order to prepare for

the next day, a high Holy Sabbath where no work was permitted
called the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This Holy time began at
Wednesday sunset. Jesus was very quickly taken from the cross
after his death as there were only a few short hours before God's
annual Feast day began (Mark 15:42 - 43).

The second Sabbath,-

The Bible states that after the annual Sabbath known as the
Feast of Unleavened Bread had ended (on sunset Thursday),
three women went to buy spices for Jesus' body (Mark 16:1).
After buying spices, the women spent the rest of Friday
preparing them.

When the weekly Sabbath started at sunset Friday, the women

rested (Luke 23:56). After resting two of the women, Mary
Magdalene and another Mary, go to observe Jesus' tomb late on
the weekly Sabbath, which approaches three complete days of
Jesus being in the tomb (Matthew 28:1).

The Resurrection,-

Some Scriptures speak of Jesus' resurrection "after three days"

(Mark 8:31; Matthew 27:63). Other verses say "in three days"
(Matthew 26:61, 27:40, John 2:19 - 20, Mark 14:58, 15:29).

Still others speak of "the third day" (Mark 9:31, 10:34, Matthew
16:21, 17:23, 20:19, 27:64, Luke 9:22, 18:33, 24:7, 21, 46, Acts
10:40, 1Corinthians 15:4). Do these phrases contradict each
other?

"When we understand Jesus’ statements, we find that instead of

being contradictory, they reveal the EXACT time that he was
raised from the dead. Jesus made it clear that he would be raised
AFTER He had been dead for three days.
"The other statements, "in three days" . . . do not include the
total time that he was dead but only the time that he was buried
in the tomb" (The Day Jesus the Christ Died, Chapter 6).

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead took place at sunset

Saturday, April 8, 30 A.D. This is three complete days and nights,
or seventy-two hours, after he died and was placed in the heart of
the earth (i.e. tomb). This fulfilled the sign of Jonah the prophet
he gave in Matthew 12:38 - 40 and proved He was the TRUE
Messiah!

Our Savior was dead and buried in the earth a full three days and
three nights, proving for all ages that he is our Messiah.

References;-

The Day Jesus the Christ Died

Holy Bible, a Faithful Version

© BibleStudy.org